TransLink received the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2023 CUTA Awards Ceremony.

Metro Vancouver expects an influx of 50,000 newcomers each year, making public transit crucial for housing, employment, and essential service needs. TransLink’s Travel Training for Newcomers Program was introduced to facilitate their integration into our accessible transit system.

This comprehensive program offers virtual and in-person workshops, hands-on experience on buses and SkyTrain stations, multilingual travel training videos, and translated guides. Collaborating with settlement service agencies, we quickly reach newcomers, particularly focusing on helping Ukrainians since 2022, with over 550 participants. Partnerships with settlement service agencies host information sessions and trips, while internal resources support training. Volunteers and translators, solicited through Internal Communication, aid in workshop delivery. The program, in languages including English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Ukrainian, and Farsi, with translation assistance for Arabic, Dari, and Japanese, ensures equal access for all newcomers.

This initiative extends externally through TransLink’s Buzzer Blog and internally via Coffee Chats, raising awareness about newcomers’ challenges and emphasizing transit’s significance. The Travel Training for Newcomers Program offers vital information and training, easing newcomers’ transition and encouraging transit adoption for daily commuting. With 1,400 participants in 2022 and almost double that in the first eight months of 2023, this program is poised to support Metro Vancouver’s growing influx of newcomers sustainably. Positive feedback and increased requests for workshops underscore its success.